The Three Foolish Brothers and the Dragon
Long ago, there was a small town in the great woods of the north. This town was plagued by a terror of the land and sky, a fearsome beast that flew and thundered across the land, a dragon. This dragon burned their houses with its ferocious flames, belched from its maw. This dragon slew and eat their families and livestock. And this dragon stole their wealth, their livelihood and their freedom. Four brothers from the south came one day and swore they would defeat the dragon. They followed him to his lair and ambushed him in his bed. The battle was hard fought but the dragon struck each of them down. Three escaped with their life, but the eldest, Tordan, was swallowed whole by the dragon. From that day the brothers swore they would have vengeance and went their seperate ways. The first brother, Gunstein, learned the art of blacksmithing and spent many years forging the strongest blade in the world. Capable even of piercing dragon-scale, blacksmiths marvelled at the sword that he continued to sharpen and refine. Finally, Gunstein went forth to the dragon's lair. He drew his sword and stepped forth, swinging with deadly precision with the sharpest blade in all the realms. But the dragon swung his claw and hit Gunstein square in the chest. Gunstein had neglected to forge nor wear armour to match his unbeatable sword, and thus the dragon's claw pierced his heart and tore it from his lifeless corpse. The second brother, Arnhelm, had spent many years winning the support of the people as a Verbander. He once considered forming an army to fight the dragon. But he instead decided to charm the dragon with his silver tongue. When he heard that his brother had failed to return, he lamented his foolish sibling's choice to wage war with the beast. Instead, he would placate its ferociousness. Thus, Arnhelm went forth to the dragon's lair. He spoke words of comfort and friendship, weaving the songs and poems and stories and words that he had learned for so many years. But the dragon swung his claw and hit Arnhelm square in the chest. Arnhelm's words meant nothing to such a menacing fiend and thus the dragon's claw pierced his throat and tore it from his lifeless corpse. The third brother, Hammlin, watched both of his brother's attempts in secret. He had spent many years finding secret passages into the dragon's lair, from which he saw the folly of his brothers. He knew that neither he nor the villages were any match for the dragon in a straight contest. And he saw that words would not sway the beasts heart. Thus, he decided that cunning and wit would be his weapons. Hammlin begun to bring sheep, cows, goats and pigs to the dragon through the passages, never revealing himself; the dragon seemed content to accept this offering without second thoughts. Whenever the village had livestock to spare, and sometimes even when it did not, Hammlinwould take fresh, live food to the dragon. Gradually, he begun to give the livestock sleeping medicine. In turn, the dragon slowly became accustomed to the taste. Eventually, Hammlin saw the dragon grow drowzier and drowzier with each feeding, until finally it slumbered deeply. Thus, Hammlin sprung his plan into action, he would take his brother's sword from the fiend's treasure pile, climb atop its back and plunge the blade into its head, slaying the terrifying dragon once and for all. Hammlin crept down into the lair and approached Gunstein's blade, not a day duller than all those years ago when the dragon struck his brother down. Hammlin strained to life the sword, and struggled further still to pull himself atop the dragon's back. But he finally came to sit upon it's neck. He took the blade in both hands and shakily lifted it up, ready to pierce the dragon's skull and slay the beast once and for all. Hammlin brought the blade down, but in his frailty, the blade simple glanced off the dragon's scales, so little was the force behind it. Hammlin had waited so many years, too many yeasrs, for his plan to come to fruition. He was already an old man with naught enough strength to pierce the scales of a dragon, no matter what the blade. The clink of the sword on his scales was the last straw for the dragon, who's slumber had already been distrubed by the old man climbing upon his back. The dragon snapped back his head and swallowed the old man whole. But as he swallowed Hammlin, the blade slipped from the man's grasp. It turned and lodged as the dragon snapped its jaws shut, and the blade pierced the beasts brain. The brothers three, and the fearsome dragon, were slain.